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Public set to come together to pay their final respects to Cambridge war veteran

Members of the public are being urged to help celebrate the life of a military veteran.

Kenneth White was a former member of the Royal Air Force and sadly passed away recently.

After it emerged that he had no living relatives, people from Cambridgeshire decided to come together to ensure that he would get a fitting send-off.

Now, the 84-year-old will be honoured with a service at Cambridge Crematorium at 9.45am on Monday, 26 March.

Beforehand 150 motorbikes will meet at the Seven Wives pub, in St Ives, to travel with Mr White on his journey to the crematorium where he will be met by an Armed Forces bugler.

Over 150 people are expected to attend and there has been so much interest after his story was shared on social media that his service has been moved from the East Chapel to the bigger West Chapel.

Rob Moores, Senior Funeral Services Assistant at Dennis Easton Funeral Home in St Ives, said: “Everyone has been touched after hearing the story of Kenneth and so many people want to help honour the life of this veteran.

“For anyone who would like to come out and pay their final respects Kenneth will leave Dennis Easton Funeral Home, in Broad Leas, at 8.30am before heading down Ramsey Road to meet the motorbike procession at The Seven Wives Pub.

“The journey will then head down to The Waits onto The Broadway before heading over the old town bridge, along London Road and onto the A14 before arriving at Cambridge Crematorium.

“We hope that people will come out and play a part in helping to honour and celebrate the life of a military veteran.”

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK.

It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, and property.

The company’s funeral business consists of over 120 funeral homes across 16 counties, 10 florists, masonry production and administration, Bretby Crematorium and Terry Smiths coffin factory.

The Society has an ambitious food store and funeral home development programme for 2018.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.